His reason? The man was making "homosexual advances" towards Thomas. He had read in the Old Testament that gay people should be stoned to death. Is that a legitimate reason for murder? No. And, there's a catch! Seidman wasn't gay. He was asexual.
So how did this happen? Thomas became a priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was VERY involved in the church when schizophrenia began to control him.
Publish Post
During one of Thomas' psychotic episodes, he met Seidman, the 70 year old man, at the Mercy Fitzgerald hospital. The two became close, and Seidman agreed to make Thomas the sole beneficiary of his will and gave him power of attorney. So was money the motive?
I think it's more complicated than that. Of course, money probably helped, but Thomas suffered from a mental illness that after so many hospital trips, he should have been watched over more carefully. It's also clear to me that he took religion too far and misinterpreted the Bible.
The Bible is definitely no excuse for a violent murder, and Thomas should pay for his crime. I would not be okay with him walking free in the world!
Article Headline: Defendant in fatal stoning devolved from zealotry to apparent madness
News source: philly.com
4 comments:
I agree that he took his religion too far. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people like this in the world. It's seriously scary to think about.
I found this article and this murder absolutely chilling.
Wow, it makes me upset to think there are still people without tolerance today. I agree that he interpreted the Bible wrong, and also that he should have been watched over more carefully.
The thing is though, I don't know if I'm watching too much Law & Order, but it's not just the hadicapped that seem to be taking this excuse for murder. These people think they have the right to interpret the Bible or that they're a new prophet. It just seems like something should be done about it. Maybe they really feel that they were sent from God or maybe they're faking it. But either way, more wars are fought over religion than anything else in the world.
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